The Caryssa Stark Outtakes
by S. A. L. Stratton
Summary: The Caryssa Stark Outtakes is a collection of snippets and one-shots mentioned throughout She Runs With Wolves and Lions that I have not yet written. Moments from Caryssa's life written and posted, but not in chronological order. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**FOREWORD:**

* * *

Hello lovely readers,

I know it has been a long time, and you probably have given up on 'She Who Runs With Wolves and Lions', but do not fear, my sweet summer children. I lost inspiration, that's true, and I can't get my words and ideas written down, despite them being in my brain, but I think I've found a way to get my mojo back.

So, here is the beginning of 'The Caryssa Stark Outtakes'. These are the scenes that have been mentioned in passing, but I've not written extensively about. For example, when Ned leaves Winterfell for Robert's rebellion and he says goodbye to a surprisingly understanding two-year-old Caryssa or moments from Jory and Caryssa's life-long friendship that will explain why she was impacted so much by his death. They most likely won't be put in chronological order, but I'll put a timeline at the front so you can refer to it, if necessary.

I hope you will enjoy them. I won't be updating this regularly, just when I'm inspired, and hopefully it'll get the creative juices flowing enough for me to get back to the main story!

Please leave a review if you want to read more of these and I'll attempt to oblige.

With much love,

SALStratton.

* * *

 _ **"This was what love meant after all: sacrifice and selflessness.**_

 _ **It did not mean hearts and flowers and a happy ending,**_

 _ **but the knowledge that another's well-being is more important than one's own."**_

 _ **-Melissa de la Cruz, Lost in Time**_

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 **CHAPTER ONE** **– A Father Saying Goodbye**

* * *

Ned sat alone in the Godswood, praying for the strength to do what he knew must be done as he cleaned his sword.

His father and brother were dead, and his sister was being held against her will. Robert had brought together a large army to save her, and to avenge the dead, but Robert had no real responsibilities.

The Baratheon Stag may have been betrothed to Lyanna, but they were not married and his best friend had no trueborn children and had not claimed any of his bastards as his own. His heirs were his brothers, Stannis and Renly, not a sweet, beloved daughter whom had no idea why her grandfather, aunt and uncle had all gone away and why her father was about to leave himself.

"Ned."

The new Lord of Winterfell turned a weary head towards his wife, surprised to find her carrying Caryssa in her arms.

"Papa." The babe held her chubby arms out towards him as Catelyn moved closer, and Ned couldn't refuse her.

He placed Ice upon the grass at his feet, and plucked his daughter out of her mother's arms, settling her on his knee. Impossibly large, blue eyes stared up at him, filled with unshed tears, far too intelligent for a girl of only two, and Ned sighed, looking to his wife for guidance.

"She knows you're leaving, I think." Catelyn explained, watching as her daughter's bottom lip wobbled, a sure sign of an impending tantrum.

Ned rubbed his free hand over his jaw, wondering what words he could scrape together to reassure a two-year-old that he would return, even though he knew that they might be a lie. He could easily die in this war. He could leave his wife a widow, his daughter without a father and the heir to Winterfell. His brother, Benjen, would never take the role of Warden of the North. It would be a burden placed upon wife and babe, and Ned would curse himself to whatever hells the Old Gods had waiting for him if that were to happen.

Still, the man tried to still the wolf pup's trembling lip with his thumb and wiped her face of the stray tears that fell down her pale, ample cheeks.

"I am leaving. I'm going to war, Caryssa, and I don't know how long I will be gone, but I go only to save your Aunt Lyanna," Ned explained, his voice as steady as he could manage it, even as he caught sight of the necklace his sister had placed around his babe's neck on her first namesday. It was a beautiful thing, almost too beautiful to be from the North, but it was an heirloom of the Stark family, supposedly all the way back to the Kings of old. "You miss your Aunt Lyanna, don't you?"

"'Un' Lanna." Caryssa nodded solemnly, dark curls bobbing around her fair face.

Ned almost cracked a smile at the way his daughter spoke her aunt's name, but he couldn't. He hadn't been able to smile since the raven came to tell him of his father and brother's deaths.

"A man took her from us, and I have to go and get her back."

"No go, Papa."

He look at Catelyn, who was silently weeping, as his little wolf buried herself into his chest and tried to attach herself to him like a leech. It was going to be more difficult than he realised to leave her behind.

But he had to. For Lyanna.

"We protect each other, Caryssa, remember? Remember what your grandfather told you? When Winter comes, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. Well, Aunt Lyanna is out there all on her own, and she needs me to go protect her, and your mother needs you to protect her," Ned claimed, feeling a spark of hope fill him when her little raven head tilted back to gaze up at him at his words. "You'll look after your mother while I'm away, won't you?"

"Yes!" Caryssa jerked her head up and down so violently, Ned grabbed her chin to halt the movement. "I pwomise, Papa."

"You're a brave girl, Caryssa. I know you'll make me proud."

His daughter nuzzled back into his embrace, and Ned was content to stay that way for a while. Catelyn sat on the log beside his, and he took one of her cold hands in his, keeping his other arm wrapped around their little wolf pup.

The small family of three stayed that way until Ser Rodrik came to collect his lord, when the men were ready to leave and his best friend had demanded for him to stop delaying.

And then only wife and daughter were left in front of the Heart Tree, praying that he would come home to them, as he'd said he would.

* * *

 **A/N:**

It's me again, dear readers!

So, this is the first drabble, I guess that's what it would be called, of The Caryssa Stark Outtakes. And I realise that Caryssa is only two and most two year old's probably don't have the understanding shown here or the verbal skills, but I spoke in broken sentences when I was two, or so my mother tells me, so using a little personal experience and some creative license here.

Hope you liked the little snippet between Ned, Catelyn and Caryssa. I've tried to paint the strong, loving relationship that Ned and Caryssa had in SRWWAL's, but I'm not always sure I've gotten it across as well as I liked, which is why I chose this scene to be the first one I wrote.

Anyway please leave a review if you liked,

S.A.L. Stratton.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO** **– The Lion in the Library**

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 _ **"The love of family and the admiration of friends is much more important than wealth and privilege."**_

 _ **-Charles Kuralt**_

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Caryssa was searching for something to read in the stacks in the Library Tower, kneeling in the dust of the floor to better see the bottom shelves, having been avoiding anyone who might try and start a conversation with her. She was furious at her father, at the King, as they had announced her betrothal to Jaime Lannister the day previous, and she wanted nothing more than to be alone.

The thought of King's Landing sent disgust crawling throughout her body. Her father called it a rat's nest, even Maester Luwin had no good words to say about it, and it would be her home soon.

Why had the Gods cursed her so? She was a good person; she prayed each morning for the health of her family, for the crops to grow, for good fortune for the small folk. The she-wolf helped her mother with the children, she helped her father with running the North and she helped the staff of Winterfell as best she could. So why had the Gods cursed her to marry a man she did not know and to leave the only home she had?

Her father could have chosen a Northman. An Umber or a Cerywn, perhaps one of the Forrester men that had been so loyal to her family for generations, but no. She was going to marry a Lannister. Fucking Jaime Lannister. That was probably the worst part of it all. Jaime Lannister, the son of the richest, and possibly the most immoral, man in Westeros, the Kingslayer, was going to be her husband, and she had no say in the matter.

All her life, her father had told her to never trust a Lannister, and now he was forcing her to marry one. Why? House Stark was not a particularly wealthy house, but they did not need money, nor would her father likely accept it from those golden-haired lions, so financial gain could not have motivated him.

The whole betrothal simply did not make any sense to her, and that was why she was fuming.

"With a scowl like that, no wonder the master of the library is avoiding you."

Caryssa's head snapped sharply towards the voice, and glared at its owner.

Lord Tyrion held a tome in one hand and a goblet of wine in the other, and an amused expression played across his face. He wasn't particularly pleasant to look at, but he wasn't ugly, not like she'd overheard some of the scullery maids say. She could see the Lannister in him. It was the blond head of hair, the green eyes and that superior smirk on his lips that just screamed 'I am a Lion of the Rock'.

Right now, it only fuelled her irritation.

"Can I help you, Lord Tyrion?"

"No, but I may be able to help you," The lady looked at the dwarf, eyebrows raised, waiting for whatever solution he could possibly come up with to solve her predicament. Tyrion moved closer to her, but made no move to sit beside her. Perhaps he liked that she was on his level, for a change. "My brother seems to be quite content with the King and Lord Stark's announcement. I know my father is pleased to have his true heir returned to him, even if he will continue his duties as a Kingsguard. The key is to find some way to make you content in this marriage."

"Content? No offense to you or your family, my lord, but I would rather be miserable here in the North, than content with your brother in the South," And it was true. At least, in the North, Caryssa had her family and she knew the land and its people. She was friends with the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker in Winter Town and their families, and paid many visits to the orphanage to bring old toys and food to the children. The North was her home and her happiness, but she could live without the latter if she got to keep the former. "I am not meant for the South."

"We all must do things we are not meant for, especially on the whims of our fathers," Tyrion said, tugging a dusty book from the shelf in front of them and perusing its cover, while giving the lady a whiff of his pungent scent. He had imbibed plenty of wine since the morning, then. "The South isn't so bad. Well, Casterly Rock isn't. Perhaps one day you could persuade my brother to take you there and leave King's Landing."

Caryssa sighed, knowing that no one would help her find a way out of the marriage, but perhaps the strange, drunk man beside her could at least aid her in discovering a way to be 'content'.

"They say the Rock is made from solid gold."

"Well, those stories are untrue, I'm afraid, but the Rock is something of a marvel. Very different from the harsh beauty of the North, but I'm sure you'd adapt quickly."

The she-wolf stood up, walked past the lion and pulled out two chairs at the table in the middle of the room. She gestured at Tyrion to take the seat opposite her, as she lowered herself into her own chair.

"Well, tell me more about it. Knowledge is power and all that."

Tyrion smirked.

"Very true, my lady. Very true."

A/N:

And so began Tyrion and Caryssa's friendship. I have a couple other Winterfell scenes between these two planned in my head, to help back up their interaction in chapter eight of She Runs With Wolves and Lions. I'm sure many people were confused at the time by the fondness that seemed to be between them, but that's because, at the time of writing it, I couldn't find a place for these scenes in the story.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this short drabble or one-shot, or whatever this is classified as!

Hope I have more to come soon, but, like nearly always, depression is kicking my arse and I can't afford to pay for my meds anymore so…if you've got any natural remedies that you'd recommend, I'd be grateful for them!

My love and thanks to you guys as always,

Sophie.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three – ****A Happy Namesday Present**

She was drunk.

The She-Wolf of Winterfell had just turned eighteen and the whole of Winterfell was indulging in an ale or two. She'd had six. One her father had handed to her at the beginning of the feast, the second and third were sneaky refills by Jory, the fourth had been given to her by her uncle Benjen, and she didn't know where the fifth or sixth had come from, but she'd tipped them back all the same.

Now, she was being corralled back to her room by a stumbling Jory, who'd imbibed a bit too much himself.

Caryssa had never felt like this. She'd never felt this carefree or light, not since her seventh namesday, and she was enjoying the feeling before it passed. Perhaps she should drink more often, if this was the feeling that came with it.

"Jory let's go to the tavern! We need more ale," Caryssa said, giggling as she tried to break free of her guard's grip around her waist. "I like ale! I wish Father had let me have more."

"Your Father was angry that you'd had so much as it was! You'll get me in trouble!"

The she-wolf was being wily, wriggling one moment and letting her body go limp the next, but Jory was determined to fulfil his lord's command.

 _"Get my daughter to her chambers, Jory, and make sure she stays there."_

When Eddard Stark gave you a command, you did your duty, no matter how much you'd had to drink. Or at least it was that way for the Cassell's. Jory was no different from Rodrik, who took his duty so seriously that it was like he thought himself a Stark, and he would not let his Lord down.

Finally, after what had felt like an age, Jory managed to wrangle his lady to her chamber door. He struggled to keep her beside him as he opened the door, but then heaved her through.

"You're no fun, Jory Cassell!" Caryssa declared, as he caught her about the waist when she tried for the fifteenth time to dart away from him. She just wanted to enjoy herself. That was all. She wouldn't go and get herself into trouble, and Robb and Jon had probably ventured down to the tavern with Greyjoy by now and they were younger than she was! It was unfair. "Why can't we go to the tavern?"

"Because your father said so."

"Well, why can't we drink here then?"

"That wouldn't be…appropriate, Ryssa."

Caryssa sighed, pouting slightly as she eyed Jory. Then an idea popped into her head. A brilliant one that she kicked herself for not thinking of before.

"You owe me a present, Ser Jory. Don't think I've forgotten," She tutted at him, as she stumbled towards him and threw her arms around his neck. "It's poor manners to forget to get a present for your lady."

"Aye, that's true, but I begged your forgiveness a dozen times already, and twice that to your father." Jory reminded her, allowing her to embrace him.

Caryssa had hugged him many times before, and Lord Stark never said anything of it, because that's just who his daughter was. Cold to strangers, warm to friends. Jory thought it was also because Lord Stark trusted him not to do anything untoward to his daughter, even if he did admit to himself that he harboured some feelings for the younger woman.

It was hard for him not to. Caryssa Stark was, to him, everything a lady should be; she was well-educated, hard-working (she helped the steward with running the household, and helped Septa Mordane corral the younger children), she was kind to the small folk and the staff of Winterfell, and she was as fierce as a wolf. He knew that she would fight to the death to protect her family and the North, even being as useless as she was with a sword.

Gods, she was deadly with her bow, though. Since the day that Lord Stark had gifted the thing to her, she had spent every spare moment she had training with it. Jory helped her at first, but he had caught her often enough practicing with it on her own. Now, at eighteen, she hit her target nine times out of ten, and was often victorious when competing against Theon.

If not for her outrageously quick temper, her inability to trust easily, that she was near eleven years younger than him, and the fact she was high above his station, Caryssa Stark would be his perfect woman.

"Well, I know what I want, how you can make it up to me!"

"I'm not fetching you more ale, your father would have my head."

"No, I want something else. Something I only want from you."

"And what's that-"

Caryssa cut him off with a kiss.

She was kissing him.

Lord Stark was going to feed him to the dogs.

He pressed back, his arms circling her waist and tugging her closer to him, because if he was going to die for this, he was going to make the moment count.

Too soon, his lady pulled away with a pleasurable sigh.

"I've always wondered what kissing you would be like," She whispered, smiling to herself. "I liked it, but you should probably go back to the feast before someone comes looking for you."

Jory nodded, speechless as he headed to the door. He was a terrible man. A terrible, honourless-

"Jory?" The man turned back to her and saw her perching on the edge of her bed, watching him leave. "I- Thank you for my namesday present."

"You're welcome," He said, his voice hoarse. "Next year, I promise to get you something better, something you actually deserve."

"And what if I want the same thing next year?"

Jory blinked. She couldn't feel the same way towards him, she just couldn't. Even if she did, she was a high-born lady, the daughter of his liege-lord, and they would never be able to be together.

Still…

"I'll think about it."

* * *

 **A/N:**

Hello, lovely people of the Internet!

I'm back again! I feel awful for once again ghosting, but unfortunately, I have had a lot going on.

My mental health took a turn for the worse, even more when my Granddad, who had been battling cancer since last December, passed away in late April. I just haven't been in a good space for writing anything, fan fiction or original, so my stories took a backseat. I hope you guys all understand.

Anyway, to try and get back into a Game of Thrones mood, I started writing some more of the CS Outtakes. This one is for my one, true love, Jory Cassell. He was such an underrated character and is to this day one of only two things I still have not forgiven my other one, true love, Jaime Lannister, for,. So I wanted to show some love to him, and to his and Caryssa's relationship. This was just a snippet, but I have more planned in my head since I didn't give a lot of time for them in SWRWWAL.

I hope you guys enjoy this crappy drabble/one-shot, and the next one is a Robb and Caryssa centered piece!

May the Gods favour you always,

Sophie.


	4. A QUICK NOTE

Hi guys!

This isn't an update, unfortunately, but I am working on the next chapter.

I just wanted to let you know that I have created a poll that is on my profile right now.

I'm sure most of you have watched the Game of Thrones season eight finale, but if you haven't, don't worry, I'm not going to be posting any spoilers. I know the finale has divided fans, even my dad and I had different views on the final ever episode, and I just wanted to see what you guys thought about it in regards to this story.

I was disappointed with how most of Season 8 played out. There were things that I thought had been rushed and felt forced. There were things that I thought just didn't make sense in regards to certain characters and their previous character development. There were things that I just outright disliked.

And I know that you can't please everyone. As a writer, I know that almost painfully well, but at points it felt like D&D weren't even trying to make something any of their fans would enjoy.

So, I put up a poll to ask if you guys want me to create my own ending, or if you would prefer for things to loosely follow the show canon? I'm always going to be telling Caryssa's story, and how I think things would have played out if Caryssa had been a real part of the show and books, but I honestly don't think I can write characters like Jon or Tyrion or Daenerys, the way that D&D had them in the final two seasons. To the people who liked what happened, that's great for you, but I was a little disappointed in how those three had been handled.

So, please visit my profile and cast your vote, so I can start planning the ending. Having the ending planned actually helps with writing the middle, weirdly enough, so it'd be a huge help!

Alright, I love you guys!

Sophie xx


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